Sleepovers are great. They let your kids bond with their friends while enabling them to feel a sense of independence - even if they are only in the room next door. But they can also be hazardous - think overly excited children, wet sleeping bags and tears.

To make the evening one to remember (for all the right reasons), here's how to host a sleepover that's stress-free for you and seriously fun for the kids.

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1. Set up a mini home cinema

One of the things kids love most about sleepovers with their friends is the chance to stay up late watching movies. Make their at-home cinema experience unforgettable by creating a cosy nook for them and their friends to sit in as they decide on their favourite films streaming on NOW TV, whether that's Moana or Finding Dory. Cover the floor with as many cushions as you can find, load up on blankets and slippers and pin bedsheets to the walls before hanging string fairy lights over the top for the ultimate selfie backdrop.

No movie marathon would be complete without a whole load of cinema-appropriate snacks to keep the munchies at bay. Get creative by drizzling melted chocolate over a bowl of popcorn, or create a strawberries and cream snack mix by throwing dried strawberries, yogurt raisins and chocolate pillow cereal into several mini bowls and serving as the film starts. For savoury treats, make a batch of pizza rolls by scooping out the centre of a bread roll, filling with a mix of eggs, cream, tomato, cheese and basil and baking for ten minutes.

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3. Encourage a dance-off

Whether they're obsessed with Justin Bieber or dreaming of joining Little Mix, make a playlist full of their favourite tunes and stage a dance-off - it's a great way of keeping kids active indoors. Ask two of your guests to face each other while the others stand around them in a circle. Then, let the battle commence as they show each other their best moves. Every 30 seconds, ask them to switch partners by grabbing someone new from the circle, and so on, until everyone's dancing. That way, any less confident guests won't feel left out.

4. Hang a homemade piñata

Got The Secret Life of Pets lined-up for the kids to watch that night? Pre-make a piñata to match. Start by blowing up a balloon and covering it in strips of newspaper using paper mache paste. Once dry, pop the balloon and get decorating by painting a dog or cat face onto the mould. (Make sure to leave the bottom of the balloon uncovered so you can pour the sweets in). Cover up the hole with a strip of duct tape. Now let the bashing commence!

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5. Play the break-out-of-jail game

While all of the kids are busy in one room, use a roll of crepe paper and some sellotape to hang strips of paper in a zig zag pattern across a hallway or room. Then, tell your guests that they're all in jail (black and white striped tops optional), and the only way to escape is to make it through the maze without breaking the paper. The person who makes it out the fastest wins a prize.

6. Make DIY pillowcases

Get kids excited for bedtime by letting them decorate a plain pillowcase or an eye mask using non-toxic fabric pens and pastels, iron-on letters, ribbon and sequins. You could even tie in the decorating with the theme of the NOW TV film they're watching - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them? Make like a wizard and go for stars and moons. Then, have them snuggle into their sleeping bags ready for some shut-eye.

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7. Wind down with a spa session

A great way to make guests feel grown-up is by setting up an at-home spa. Using washing up bowls, create a series of foot baths (with plenty of bubbles) for the kids to dip their feet into, and help them make their own face masks by mashing up a quarter of an avocado and adding a tablespoon of yoghurt. For an authentic salon experience, keep a clipboard with the time of each guest's manicure or pedicure slot written down and let them choose from a range of colours.

To keep kids entertained all night long, stream over 1000 movies or thousands of episodes of kids TV onNOW TV...

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